Jan. 12 PA Environment Digest Now Available

The Jan. 12 PA Environment Digest Is Now Available.  Click Here To Print Entire Digest.

Analysis: The Public Has A Right To Meaningful Participation In Policy Making

The public has a right to meaningful participation in permit reviews and policy making within the Department of Environmental Protection.  It sounds simple, but it’s not.

Over the last two years DEP’s 18-member Citizens Advisory Council has made a series of recommendations for improving public participation in permit reviews, in the development of technical guidance and regulations and in the use of the agency’s advisory committees.

CBF Report: Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Improves, Fisheries Decline

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s biennial State of the Bay Report is a mix of good and bad news. The good news is that the overall pollution score improved, but that improvement was offset by declines in fisheries.

Commonwealth Court Upholds Transfer Of Oil And Gas Funds

Commonwealth Court Wednesday issued an opinion in a lawsuit brought by the PA Environmental Defense Fund and other groups upholding the right of the General Assembly and the Governor to transfer monies from DCNR’s Oil and Gas Fund to the General Fund and to support DCNR State Park and State Forest operations.

DEP Citizens Advisory Council To Discuss Part 2 Of Its Transition Report Jan. 21

The DEP Citizens Advisory Council will meet January 21 to continue drafting its transition report to the incoming Wolf Administration and hear a presentation on the implementation of Act 162 changing stream buffer requirements.

Nominations Sought For Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards

Sponsors of the Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards are seeking nominations from people and organizations who are working to improve the community.  Nominations are due February 18.

Op-Ed: The Latest Act 54 Deep Mining Impact Report, It’s Past Time To Rewrite The Law

By John Walliser, PA Environmental Council

At the very tail end of 2014, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released the fourth in an ongoing series of reports detailing the effects of surface subsidence related to underground coal mining in Pennsylvania. The PA Environment Digest has an excellent snapshot of the report’s detailed findings.

Keep PA Beautiful Affiliates Recycle Over 900,000 Pounds Of Electronics In 2014

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s affiliate network provided Pennsylvania residents with disposal options for hard-to-dispose items that consisted of one-day events and permanent drop-off locations.   During 2014, nearly 30,000 tires, 917,407 pounds of electronics, over 500 appliances, and 48,455 pounds of household hazardous waste was properly disposed thanks to county-based Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful affiliates across the Commonwealth.